And everyone is well reefed down for the start of the 2008 Round Ireland race at Wicklow.

Mike Slade’s enourmous 30 metre ICAP Leopard took the early lead with 14 folk hanging off the starboard rail and another six working inboard. The boat is 40 feet longer than any other in the fleet.

Ger Rourke’s VO70 McConnell’s Chieftain had a whoopsie leaving her berth in Dun Laoghaire Marina. Despite two ribs pulling her off a leeward pontoon, the boat suffered a foot long gash above the waterline on the starboard side. Dejected crew decided that gaffer tape would not do the trick for the race and so they retired, leaving the boat tied up in the lee of the Stena ferry pier with the keel canted to port to keep the gash above the waterline.

Here is Alburn, the VO60 entered by Robby Milhench and Kenny McCullough from Ballyholme.